- 1 Lyon vs Crystal Palace: two winning starts, two attacks in form, and a Lyon side without its striker
- 2 Lyon: a defence that’s been excellent all season now loses two of its starters
- 3 Crystal Palace: Pino in form, Sarr and Nketiah back, and Benítez in goal
- 4 Free Europa League Prediction: Lyon vs Crystal Palace
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
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- 10 Legal age
- 11 About visuals
Lyon vs Crystal Palace: two winning starts, two attacks in form, and a Lyon side without its striker 
Both of these clubs won on matchday one, and both did it with a bit of style. Lyon went to Anderlecht and won 2-1. Crystal Palace thrashed Lech Poznań 4-0 at Selhurst Park. On Thursday they meet at the Groupama Stadium, with kick-off set for 18:45 Paris time.
It’s the first competitive meeting between the clubs. The only previous game was a pre-season friendly in August 2023, which Palace won 2-0, but squads and coaches have changed so much since then that it’s barely worth a footnote.
What does carry weight is the shape both teams are in. Lyon were unbeaten in five before Friday night, a run that included a 4-0 win over Rennes. Then they lost 2-1 at Lens, with Khalis Merah’s 85th-minute goal only a consolation. Palace, meanwhile, came from behind to beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 on Sunday and haven’t lost in three.
The gap between these sides isn’t just about league tables. Lyon have been the tighter team in their domestic league, while Palace have scored freely across all competitions but leaked goals in the Premier League early on. That mix usually makes for an open game.
The team news adds to that feeling. Lyon are without Loïs Openda, their first-choice striker, plus two regular defenders. Palace will have a back-up goalkeeper between the sticks. Neither side looks set up to keep things tight for 90 minutes.
The prices are close. Lyon are around 2.15 to 2.25 to win, Palace around 3.00 to 3.20, and the draw sits near 3.50. The goals market is where the sharper view lies.
Lyon: a defence that’s been excellent all season now loses two of its starters 
Ten goals scored and only two conceded through the first five rounds of Ligue 1. That was Lyon’s record before the Lens game, and it had Paulo Fonseca’s side sitting second in the table with 11 points.
The defensive record has been the foundation. The Lens defeat put a dent in it, with two goals against in one night, and the timing isn’t ideal. Moussa Niakhaté and Ouédraogo are both listed as out for Thursday, which means a reshuffled back four against one of the more direct attacks Lyon will face in this competition.
Up front, Openda’s leg injury against Lens has ruled him out. Keito Nakamura is expected to come in. Is that a disaster? Not really. Nakamura scored against Anderlecht and has been one of the best performers in Lyon’s European campaign so far, so the drop-off may be smaller than it looks on paper.
Noah Nartey and Tanner Tessmann are in line to return to the starting XI too. Nartey also scored in Brussels, and with Pavel Šulc floating behind the forward line, Lyon still have plenty of ways to hurt a side that likes to push its wing-backs forward.
The Rennes win showed what this team does well. Lyon had less of the ball that night but scored four, with Ernest Nuamah grabbing two in the first half-hour and Corentin Tolisso adding the fourth. That’s a side that doesn’t need possession to create. Against Palace, that’ll matter.
The worry is the late defending at Lens. Concede twice there, and a Palace side with Yéremy Pino in form can ill afford to be underestimated.
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Crystal Palace: Pino in form, Sarr and Nketiah back, and Benítez in goal 
Palace’s recent run is better than their league position suggests. Over five matches in late September they beat Fulham 3-2 away, beat Middlesbrough 3-0 in the Carabao Cup, lost 3-2 to Ipswich, thumped Lech 4-0 and drew 0-0 at Leeds. Twelve goals scored in that stretch. Then came Sunday’s 3-1 comeback against Forest.
Yéremy Pino is the man to watch. He opened the scoring against Lech, won the penalty for the third goal and has been Palace’s standout performer in Europe so far. When he drifts in from the left, defences struggle to pick him up.
Pierre Sage also has more options than he did a month ago. Ismaïla Sarr and Eddie Nketiah both came back from spells out against Lech, and Nketiah scored the fourth. Jørgen Strand Larsen converted the penalty that night and should start as the central striker.
There are gaps, though. Dean Henderson is out, so Walter Benítez keeps his place in goal. Jean-Philippe Mateta and Chadi Riad are also listed as absent. Sage could bring Honest Ahanor into the back three, which would be a notable call for a game of this size.
The league record shows the other side of this team. Before the Forest win, Palace had four points from five Premier League games, with six scored and 11 conceded. That’s not a defence you trust to keep a clean sheet away from home in Europe.
Adam Wharton, who wore the armband against Lech, will be central to how Palace play through Lyon’s press. If he gets time on the ball, the visitors will create chances.
Probable lineup Lyon: Greif; Athekame, Mata, R. Kluivert, Abner Vinícius; Morton, Tessmann; Nakamura, Boudache, Nartey; Šulc
Probable lineup Crystal Palace: Benítez; Ahanor, Disasi, Richards; Khalaili, Wharton, Timber, Mitchell; Pino, Kamada; Strand Larsen
Free Europa League Prediction: Lyon vs Crystal Palace
Our prediction: Over 2.5 goals (1.67)
The result market is close to a coin flip, and we don’t see enough to separate them. The goals market is clearer. Lyon have a weakened back line and just conceded twice at Lens. Palace have scored three or more in four of their last six matches and conceded 11 in their first five league games.
Both sides create without needing the ball. Lyon scored four against Rennes with less possession, and Palace’s best moments come on the turnover through Pino, Kamada and Strand Larsen. That’s a recipe for chances at both ends.
Across this season’s competitive matches for both clubs combined, three or more goals have been scored in 13 of 19. Over 2.5 goals at 1.67 is our pick.
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